1. Addressing social and environmental safeguards
and ensuring multiple benefits in Ecuador
Carola Borja
Undersecretary of Climate Change – Ministry of Environment
Bonn, June 7, 2011

2. Ecuador’s Background

3. Ecuador’s Background
• Ecuador is one of the 17 mega diverse
countries
• 14 different indigenous nationalities
• Approximately 10 million hectares of forests
• Deforestation rate: 61.764 ha/year (MAE
2011)
• Reduce deforestation rate is a national
priority

4. REDD+ context in Ecuador
• Managing forests and climate change is a competency of the
Ministry of Environment
• REDD+ as an alternative to comply with both national
objectives:
– Reducing deforestation rate
– Mitigating climate change
• Development of the National REDD+ Program as part of the
Readiness phase
• Implementing safeguards and promoting multiple benefits is
key to implement REDD+ and ensure long term sustainability

5. Why is it important to ensure
safeguards?

6. Cancun Safeguards
When undertaking the activities referred to in paragraph 70 of this decision,
the following safeguards should be promoted and supported:
(a) That actions complement or are consistent with the objectives of national forest programmes and relevant
international conventions and agreements
(b) Transparent and effective national forest governance structures, taking into account national legislation
and sovereignty
(c) Respect for the knowledge and rights of indigenous peoples and members of local communities, by taking
into account relevant international obligations, national circumstances and laws, and noting that the United
Nations General Assembly has adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
(d) The full and effective participation of relevant stakeholders, in particular indigenous peoples and local
communities, in the actions referred to in paragraphs 70 and 72 of this decision
e) That actions are consistent with the conservation of natural forests and biological diversity, ensuring that
the actions referred to in paragraph 70 of this decision are not used for the conversion of natural forests,
but are instead used to incentivize the protection and conservation of natural forests and their ecosystem
services, and to enhance other social and environmental benefits
(f) Actions to address the risks of reversals
(g) Actions to reduce displacement of emissions

7. The importance of ensuring multiple
benefits
• Ecuador has a great potential to ensure additional benefits
• Mega diverse country
• Multi cultural country
• REDD+ is more than a mechanism to mitigate climate change
• In addition to securing carbon, REDD+ can deliver social and
environmental multiple benefits
• For the Ministry it is high priority that REDD+ activities deliver both:
social and environmental benefits in the short & long terms
• “High Quality “REDD+ Mechanism
• Safeguards must be addressed to ensure long term sustainability of the
mechanism

8. REDD+ National Program
Sustainable
Management Conservation
National (Socio
Forest Reference
of Forests Bosque)
Inventory Level of
Emissions by
Deforestation
Incentive SFM
Deforestation
Base Line GHG
MRV System Based Policies Components of
Monitoring
System Ecuador´s National
National
REDD+ Strategy
REDD+
Program
Competence On going
Forestry of MoE activities
Land Tenure
Control Competence
Regularization
of Others
Planed
activities
Reforestation Cross cutting
& Aforestation issues
Legal, financial & Institutional Framework Cross-sectoral Planning
Financial Sustainability Management of timber demand
Social & Environmental co-benefits Stakeholder Engagement

9. Addressing social and environmental
safeguards and ensuring co-benefits in
Ecuador

10. REDD+ Social and Environmental Standards
in Ecuador
• Social and environmental safeguards to mitigate risks
• Generate significant social and environmental co-benefits
• REDD+ Program performance
REDD+ SES • Mechanism for reporting on how safeguards are addressed
• Development of a bench-mark of good practice guide (principles, criteria
and indicators)
Phase 1 • Consultations workshops
• National Interpretation
• Pilot implementation in Ecuador
Phase 2 • Evaluation

11. Implementation of REDD+ SES in Ecuador
NATIONAL INTERPRETATION
• Workshops with CSO and IPs
• Public consultation process
• Processing of comments by the facilitation team and revision by
the Ministry’s legal department
• Establishment of the National Standards Committee
IMPLEMENTATION
• Develop a monitoring plan: type and source of information to
report on standards
• Consultancy to identify information needed to report on
Standards in Ecuador
• Piloting in Socio Bosque
• Scaling up to the National REDD+ Strategy
EVALUATION
• Final report
• Assessment of indicators

12. REDD+ National Program
Sustainable
Management
National
Forest Reference
of Forests Socio
Bosque
Inventory Level of
Emissions by
Deforestation
Incentive Socio
Deforestation
Base Line GHG
MRV System Based Policies Manejo Components of
Monitoring
System Ecuador´s National
National
REDD+ Strategy
REDD+
Program
Competence On going
Forestry of MoE activities
Land Tenure
Control Competence
Regularization
of Others
Planed
activities
Reforestation Cross cutting
& Aforestation issues
Elements covered by REDD+
SES
Legal, financial & Institutional Framework Cross-sectoral Planning
Financial Sustainability Management of timber demand
Social & Environmental co-benefits Stakeholder Engagement

13. Using UN-REDD tools in Ecuador
 Joint National Document (JND) approved at the 6th
UN-REDD Policy Board in March 2011
 Voluntary tools to address safeguards and ensure
multiple benefits
 Planned activities in the JND
Multiple benefits
enhancement
strategy
• Identify social and • Define and implement
environmental benefits mechanisms to enhance
(UNEP-WCMC) multiple benefits
• Define a monitoring • Develop and implement a
system MRV multiple benefit
monitoring system
• Apply REDD+ SES harmonized
Multiple benefits with UN-REDD tools
monitoring system

14. Addressing safeguards
Decision 1/CP.16 UNFCCC REDD+ SES UN-REDD Social and Environmental Principles and
Criteria
(a) That actions complement or are consistent with the Principle 4: The REDD+ program contributes to broader Principle 3-Policy coherence: The programme contributes
objectives of national forest programmes and relevant sustainable development, respect and protection of to a low-carbon, climate resilient and environmentally
international conventions and agreements; human rights and good governance objectives sound development policy, consistent with commitments
under international conventions and agreements
(b) Transparent and effective national forest governance Principle 4: The REDD+ program contributes to broader Principle 1 – Democratic governance: the programme
structures, taking into account national legislation and sustainable development, respect and protection of complies with standards of democratic governance
sovereignty; human rights and good governance objectives
Principle 8: The REDD+ program complies wih local
applicable and national laws and international treaties,
conventions and other instruments
(c) Respect for the knowledge and rights of indigenous Principle 3: The REDD+ program improves long-term Principle 2 – Stakeholder livelihoods: The programme
peoples and members of local communities, by taking into livelihood security and well-being of Indigenous Peoples carefully assesses potential adverse impacts on
account relevant international obligations, national and local communities with special attention to the most stakeholders long-term livelihoods and mitigates effects
circumstances and laws, and noting that the United vulnerable where appropriate
Nations General Assembly has adopted the United
Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;
(d) The full and effective participation of relevant Principle 6: All relevant rights holders and stakeholders Principle 1 – Democratic governance: the programme
stakeholders, in particular indigenous peoples and local participate fully and effectively in the REDD+ program complies with standards of democratic governance
communities, in the actions referred to in paragraphs 70
and 72 of this decision;
e) That actions are consistent with the conservation of Principle 5: The REDD+ program maintains and enhances Principle 4 – Protect and conserve natural forests: the
natural forests and biological diversity, ensuring that the biodiversity and ecosystem services programme protects natural forests from degradation or
actions referred to in paragraph 70 of this decision are not conversion to other land uses including plantation forests
used for the conversion of natural forests, but are instead Principle 5 – Maintain and enhance multiple functions of
used to incentivize the protection and conservation of forest: The programme increases benefits deliverd
natural forests and their ecosystem services, and to through ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation
enhance other social and environmental benefits; Principle 6 – Minimise indirect adverse impacts on
ecosystem services and biodiversity
(f) Actions to address the risks of reversals; NA Principle 3-Policy coherence: The programme contributes
to a low-carbon, climate resilient and environmentally
sound development policy, consistent with commitments
under international conventions and agreements
(g) Actions to reduce displacement of emissions Principle 5: The REDD+ program maintains and enhances Principle 6 – Minimise indirect adverse impacts on
biodiversity and ecosystem services ecosystem services and biodiversity

15. Going beyond safeguards through
REDD+ SES and UN-REDD tools
Examples of multiple benefits
Gain
Address Promote biodiversity
Equitable
gender and respect of and
sharing of
well-being human enhance
REDD+
issues rights ecosystem
benefits
services
REDD+ sustainability
Prioritization of areas for REDD+ activities
Cross-sectoral planning and harmonization of policies
Livelihoods sustainability

16. Towards an information system for
safeguards in Ecuador
Information system for safeguards
REDD+ SES UN-REDD
Social and environmental Governance
indicators
Social and Environmental
Specific monitoring information
Principles and Criteria
Samples
JND Multiple benefits MRV system
Other benefits from forests beyond carbon

17. Challenges
Need to scale down the instruments
developed at the international level
Complementarities between SES and UN-
REDD safeguards and implications for
implementation at a country level
Develop a monitoring system for
governance safeguards as part of the
MRV system

18. Thank you for your attention!
Prepared by
Aurélie Lhumeau
alhumeau@ambiente.gob.ec
And
Daniela Carrión
dcarrion@ambiente.gob.ec